Courses near Narita Airport

[chipper2]

In late March I will be returning to the States from a 15 day golf package trip to Vietnam and Thailand. I will be staying 2 nights near Narita Airport in Japan. Anybody know anything about the courses there? I plan to get a round in if the weather cooperates.

[MSchott]

I wouldn't have thought so but a quick look on Google Earth shows a number of courses nearby. Be forewarned that golf in Japan an be very expensive. You may need a reservation to play.

[Clambake]

Funny that I just flew out of Narita a week ago and was looking at the courses as we climbed out.   It was a gorgeous late afternoon, and I counted 14 different courses before we circled out over the ocean.

A few years ago I looked into playing courses there as I was through Narita a lot.   Most of the courses in Chiba prefecture are private and didn't entertain outside play, but there were several that were gaijin-friendly.    One I recall was Taiei CC, about 10 minutes from the airport; here's a link: http://www.taiei.cc/index.html Glenmoor CC was another that I looked into, although I recall it didn't look quite as nice.   Pricing for all of them was around $300 if I remember right (at the exchange rate at that time).

If you find a good one, let us know.   I still fly through Narita about once a quarter, and would love to make it a nice break instead of just an annoying stopover.

[chipper2]

Just returned from my Southeast Asia trip. Found a Japanese golf forum website in English (golfjin.com). Posted a message on it and was answered by an American living and working in Japan. He picked me up at hotel and we played Caledonian Golf Club about 30 minute drive.

A very nice course. In excellent conditon, challenging and fun to play. Price included cart and a meal at he turn (mandatory). Price was around $180. I was advised that many of the courses closer to Narita Airport can be booked in advance and are even less than the one we played. It truly was a wonderful day and would do it again if staying overnight near airport.